Research shows that when children have recess and outdoor play, they gain the following benefits:
The American Academy of Pediatrics believes that recess and outdoor play is a crucial and necessary component of a child’s development
Several studies demonstrated that recess made children more attentive and more productive in the classroom
Through play at recess, children learn valuable communication skills, including negotiation, cooperation, sharing, and problem solving as well as coping skills, such as perseverance and self-control. These skills become fundamental, lifelong personal tools. Recess offers a child a necessary, socially structured means for managing stress. By adapting and adjusting to the complex school environment, children augment and extend their cognitive development in the classroom.
A growing body of evidence suggests that recess promotes not only physical health and social development but also cognitive performance.10,37 Although recess and physical education both promote activity and a healthy lifestyle, it is only supervised but unstructured recess that offers children the opportunity to actually play creatively. In this sense, then, pediatricians’ support of recess is an extension of the AAP’s policy statement supporting free play as a fundamental component of a child’s normal growth and development.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has researched the importance of play and has 6 points that show the importance of recess:
- Are less fidgety and more on task
- Have improved memory and more focused attention
- Develop more brain connections
- Learn negotiation skills
- Exercise leadership, teach games, take turns, and learn to resolve conflicts
- Are more physically active before and after school
The American Academy of Pediatrics believes that recess and outdoor play is a crucial and necessary component of a child’s development
Several studies demonstrated that recess made children more attentive and more productive in the classroom
Through play at recess, children learn valuable communication skills, including negotiation, cooperation, sharing, and problem solving as well as coping skills, such as perseverance and self-control. These skills become fundamental, lifelong personal tools. Recess offers a child a necessary, socially structured means for managing stress. By adapting and adjusting to the complex school environment, children augment and extend their cognitive development in the classroom.
A growing body of evidence suggests that recess promotes not only physical health and social development but also cognitive performance.10,37 Although recess and physical education both promote activity and a healthy lifestyle, it is only supervised but unstructured recess that offers children the opportunity to actually play creatively. In this sense, then, pediatricians’ support of recess is an extension of the AAP’s policy statement supporting free play as a fundamental component of a child’s normal growth and development.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has researched the importance of play and has 6 points that show the importance of recess:
- Recess is a necessary break in the day for optimizing a child’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development.
- Cognitive processing and academic performance depend on regular breaks from concentrated classroom work.
- Recess is a complement to, but not a replacement for, physical education. Physical education is an academic discipline. Whereas both have the potential to promote activity and a healthy lifestyle, only recess (particularly unstructured recess) provides the creative, social, and emotional benefits of play.
- Recess can serve as a counterbalance to sedentary time and contribute to the recommended 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day, a standard strongly supported by AAP policy as a means to lessen risk of overweight.
- Whether structured or unstructured, recess should be safe and well supervised. Environmental conditions, well-maintained playground equipment, and well-trained supervisors are the critical components of safe recess.
- Peer interactions during recess are a unique complement to the classroom. The lifelong skills acquired for communication, negotiation, cooperation, sharing, problem solving, and coping are not only foundations for healthy development but also fundamental measures of the school experience.